Wet your whistle at spring beer festivals

Craft beer is having a big moment, and two festivals this month in Eastern Connecticut are inviting the public to hop on board and share in the excitement.

Sunday's Spring Beer Festival at Foxwoods Resort Casino and The Thread City Hop Fest coming to Willimantic on April 26 are both inaugural events featuring seasonal brews, food and entertainment.

Spring Beer Festival

The imbibing begins this weekend at High Rollers Luxury Lanes & Lounge at Foxwoods, which is holding its Spring Beer Festival from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Guests can enjoy beer, passed appetizers and bowling before going home with a complimentary pint glass. Six of the venues' main bowling lanes will be open for bowling contests.

Featuring beer from F&F Distributors, as well as local brewers, attendees will be invited to sample more than 40 varieties of beers, including MillerCoors, Sam Adams, Guinness, Harpoon Brewery, Cottrell and Two Roads, with more brands scheduled to appear.

The High Rollers chefs will also participate in this springtime celebration, preparing seasonal appetizers for guests to enjoy and pair with beer.

The Thread City Hop Fest is coming to Jillson Square, 645 Main St. in Willimantic on Saturday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

With food, beer, live music and vendors, organizers are hoping to make this first-time festival a signature event.

Attendees can enjoy samples from more than 30 New England breweries, including Blue Point, City Steam, Harpoon, Long Trail, Narragansett, Otter Creek, Redhook, Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada, Sixpoint, Thomas Hooker, Two Roads, Willimantic Brewing and many more. A full list of the breweries can be found at willimanticbrewingcompany.com/hop-fest/brewers.

Music by Bruce John, Eleventh Section, Dangerous Animals will add to the fun of the day.

Food will be available from local eateries, including Willimantic Brewing Company, Cafémantic, Yellow Rose BBQ, Hosmer Mountain Soda, A Cupcake for Later, Willimantic Food Co-op and Tacos La Rosa.

Regional favorites Keifer's Kettle Korn, the Rolling Tomato and Fryborg — a French fry truck from New Haven — are all slated to be on hand, too.

Tickets for the tasting are $30 per person, which includes a commemorative tasting glass.

Attendees to the Hop Fest do not have to pay an entrance fee unless they are planning to partake in the tasting.